This weekend is going to be a busy one for us here at Music.Defined. We have shows lined up for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at three of our favorite locations in Chicago, and I wanted to give you a little preview of what we’ll be up to:
Friday 8/18/11 at Schubas Tavern, Republic of Lights
I saw these guys back in May opening for Seafarer. I thought they were amazing, but I couldn’t dedicate too much real estate to their performance becuase I wasn’t there to cover them. After seeing them live, I went and downloaded their record, Go Rococo. It’s good. Lots of Spoon-y rock riffs. However, it fails to capture the charisma that the band exudes on stage (in particular lead singer Andy Snider). I’m really looking forward to this show. I referrred to their last set as the best of the year in terms of energy. Also appearing: Audiences, Hawley Shoffner, and a reunion of Hotel Ahead.
Saturday 8/19/11 at Beat Kitchen, Molehill
If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll remember that Molehill was my very first post. I had agreed to go see them when I was still writing for Chicago Tunes, and when the transition happened, I didn’t even consider that the band may not want to work with me. Well, they were very nice about it, and were still happy to have me come. That was a really solid show, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing them again. If you like rock and/or roll, I recommend checking them out. A little Muse-ish, Molehill know how to power through a rock show with facemelters and power slides (not really power slides). It’s gonna be a great time and you should come out for it. Also appearing: The Wet Darlings and Amrita.
Sunday 8/20/11 at Lincoln Hall, Dance Floor Plans
This Chicago group is the newest of the three we’re checking out this weekend, so I only have a couple tracks to go by. The first one, “Already Mine,” reminds me a lot of that time in my life (way back in 1996) when the movie Swingers came out. The only thing I wanted to listen to for a week was Average White Band’s “Pick Up The Pieces.” That same mix of funk and soul is here. No surprise coming from a band that was put together by Bumpus founder James Johnston.
The second song, “Keep Standing,” doesn’t hit as hard, but it definitely has some soul goin’ on. It reminded me quite a bit of the old Lauryn Hill songs from Miseducation, so if you dig that, you’ll probably get down with this.
The vocals and instrumentation sound really good on both songs, so I can’t wait to get on the floor and boogie! Come on out. Tickets are $17 online (20 at the door) . Also appearing: DJRC and R&B songstress Nikka Costa of “Like A Feather” fame.
We hope to see you out and about at these shows. I think they’ll all be a wonderful time. Just please don’t talk to me.